For the past few years, I haven't felt very grounded. Like many people, I’ve felt rising prices quietly settled into the background of everyday life. Grocery bills, insurance, gas—it often feels like everything costs a little more than it did yesterday. Without realizing it, I found myself spending a surprising amount of time worrying about the future. At the same time, I caught myself looking backward just as often. I remembered when gas was so affordable, when life somehow

I was taught that life was supposed to follow a schedule. By a certain age, I should have everything figured out. I should know where I'm going. I should be moving faster, achieving more, checking off milestones one after another. It's surprisingly easy to believe you're falling behind when everyone else's life seems to be unfolding right on time. But the natural world has never expected everything to bloom at the same time. Cherry blossoms don't wait for sunflowers. Lavender